California Stars, Love Me Love Me Not 2023

44% each Chardonnay (1 direct press, 1 skins 12 days both from Lolonis).  Lolonis Vineyard in Redwood Valley in Mendocino County is a historic vineyard. The first vines were planted on this property in 1922. Deep gravelly alluvial soils also allow for dry-farming and the warm and windy conditions are ideal to reduce disease pressure and organic farming is a breeze.  12% Orange Muscat (Lodi vineyard, also on the skins)

Shaunt and Diego met at UC Davis but really became fast friends and partners while abroad in France staging separately in the Loire.  They would meet up on weekends to have culinary adventures.  Diego originally thought he would make beer but then shifted gears.  Shaunt started off as a chemistry student but didn’t want to go into academia or research.  Eventually he ended up making wine and  his mentor pushed him to go to school, which suited his academic side.  The rest is history.  After setting up shop in California, the duo decided to lease vineyards but remain very hands on about farming.  Currently they work with about 45 acres total and have collaborated with the same team for pruning and harvesting for the past five years or so.  One tactic has been to source grapes from people they want to learn from– for instance, Larry Venturi. They’ve been able to convert quite a few conventionally farmed vineyards and begin working with them as well.  Shaunt and Diego don’t buy grapes in Napa and Sonoma (too expensive), but they’re making serious wines that are akin to ones you find from that area, just sourced elsewhere.

The label art is a very big part of this project and we're thrilled to be featuring art from Giulia Fiorista (@liafiore), commissioned for these special bottlings. Giulia interviewed Shaunt and Diego about the things most important to them in California. Each label tells a story about California and the winemakers’ passions.  The three-part story revolves around a love letter: a bear masked character writes a letter to a farming woman, who receives it while busy working in the fields. The letter is an invitation to dinner, which sees the two of them coming together eating fine food and wine.